Ericsson 3 skipper Lewander replaced on Leg 4 Volvo OR due to injury

by Victoria Low - Ericsson Racing Team on 5 Jan 2009
Ericsson Racing Team skipper Anders Lewander (Stockholm, Sweden) will miss Leg 4 of the Volvo Ocean Race while recuperating from knee surgery.

Lewander, 45, has guided Ericsson 3 to fourth place in the standings after three legs with 23.5 points. Lewander said he injured the knee during a sail change a few days out of India. He was on the bow helping lug a sail bag when it slammed into his left knee, pushing it sideways. He took some anti-inflammatory pills for the pain, but the stability was lacking, which forced the surgery.

'I'll be very disappointed to miss the leg,' said Lewander, competing in his second circumnavigation race. 'It is a great crew with a great bunch of guys. It will be hard to stay on the dock when they leave but I know that they will continue to fight for the best results during Leg 4.'

'Anders suffered a tear of his medial meniscus in his left knee, and after an MRI and consultation with an orthopedic surgeon we decided to perform an arthroscopy,' said Dr. Antonio Zoido, Ericsson Racing Team physician. The operation was performed at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore on Saturday, January 3.

Magnus Olsson (Stockholm,Sweden), currently watch captain, will assume the role as skipper for Leg 4 and the Singapore In-Port race. Fellow watch captain, Richard Mason (Stockholm, Sweden), will take on additional operational responsibilities.

Olsson and Mason between them have completed seven Volvo Ocean Races and have been with Ericsson 3 since training in the Canary Islands together with fellow crew Thomas Johanson, Martin Krite, Martin Strömberg, Anders Dahlsjö, Axel Magdahl and Jens Dolmer.

'Ericsson 3 and the crew have performed beyond our expectations and it is a tough blow for Anders not to be on board the boat for Leg 4. We anticipate that he will make a full recovery and will be able to rejoin the team for Leg 5,' said Richard Brisius, Ericsson Racing Team's Managing Director.

'The Volvo Ocean Race is physically tough, both on the boats and the crews. Anders' knee injury is a testament to how demanding it is out there, and we, like all teams, have contingency plans in case of injury. Magnus has an unmatched experience from the Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race and has been an important part of the campaign since the start. We are fortunate to be able to draw on his support at this time,' he concluded.

Ericsson 3 will also see one planned change to the crew lineup. Eivind Melleby (Oslo, Norway) cannot do Leg 4 due to previously known conflicting personal commitments. Melleby, the one-design sailor who joined the team prior to the race start last October to do Leg 1, has since become part of the permanent crew and is planned to sail most, but not all, of the remaining legs and In-Port races, including those in Singapore & Qingdao, as well as Leg 5 to Brazil.

Race veteran Klas 'Klabbe' Nylöf (Stockholm, Sweden) will join the crew for Leg 4 to Qingdao, China. Nylöf, 41, competed in 1997-'98 onboard race winner EF Language and 2001-'02 onboard second-placed Assa Abloy.

'I'm very excited to join the crew of Ericsson 3, and to rejoin the Volvo Ocean Race,' said Nylöf, who'll fill the role of helmsman. 'With three third-place finishes, the Nordic crew has done a very commendable job. I'm also looking forward to sailing the Volvo Open 70. The boats weren't this fast or as physically demanding the last time I did the race.'

Jann Neergaard (Copenhagen, Denmark) will also join the crew for Leg 4 making the final crew line-up. Neergaard is already a member of Ericsson Racing Team as a grinder for the In-Port races.

The Volvo Ocean Race resumes Jan. 10 with the Singapore In-Port Race. The race heads offshore on Jan. 18 for Leg 4 to Qingdao, China, a total distance of 2,500 nautical miles.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE LEADERBOARD
(After 3 of 10 legs)
1. Ericsson 4, 35 points
2. Telefónica Blue, 30.5
3. Puma, 27.5
4. Ericsson 3, 23.5
5. Green Dragon, 20.5
6. Telefónica Black, 19.5
7. Kosatka, 10.5
8. Delta Lloyd, 9